There are some moments where Alternative's strengths shine and I can see why some hail it as a masterpiece, but there are enough flaws with everything in between those moments that I don't think I can rate it solely on the basis of its best aspects.

As something that came out in 2006, I do have to commend Alternative (and the prior Muv Luv game) for its innovation. There are a handful of interesting ideas at play here and the genre shift between Extra, Unlimited, and Alternative made for a surprisingly engaging experience. But while innovation can elevate a product beyond what its other aspects would allow, that can only go so far.

Apart from a few of the main cast members, the characters are generally not that great. Even with the foundation built by the prior games, it still feels like Alternative was harping on the same points as before with only a change in context. While it does offer some significant improvements for a few of these characters (Takeru, Meiya, and Yuuko were the stand-out examples here) the game still had issues with repeating its point so many times that it got tiring. Pair this with some rather severe pacing issues towards the latter half and a shift in focus towards military spectacle and Alternative really felt like it was in desperate need of trimming.

Ultimately, I still liked the series overall. While it has a lot of weaknesses, there are occasional moments of brilliance that were enough to compensate. And while that doesn't eliminate the flaws, it does make them a lot more bearable especially considering they're the type that are more likely to be forgotten in retrospect. As long as you're not pressed for time, I'd say Muv Luv is worth giving a shot.